You know Guido Palau, even if you don't. Lady Gaga's lacquered finger waves on Marc Jacobs' runway? He did that. The wigs for Alexander McQueen's "Savage Beauty"exhibit at the Met? He did those, too. And way back before he was the go-to hair guy for Miuccia Prada and Gisele, he was part of the Brit pack that brought London's grunge scene to the fashion world.

Redken said we could ask you anything. So here's what we want to know: What was it like being part of the grunge movement that invaded fashion in the '90s?

Really? You want to talk about that? Sure. Okay. I suppose it was a defining moment in my career, but also, I guess that early '90s period was huge because it was the end of the supermodel era. I'm associated with that era because somehow, I did the hair for George Michael's "Freedom" video, which starred all of those '80s supermodels. But I I swear, I wasn't part of that era. To this day, I have no idea how I got that job.

Really?

Well, okay, I guess it's because my friends and I, we were kind of like the Vetements kids are now. Sort of this terrible gang of young people. We were a tribe from England doing pictures, doing everything ourselves. And that was seen, as it is now, as a very cool and positive and maybe a bit dangerous infusion of youth.

Who else was in your "terrible gang"?

It was me, Corinne Day, the photographer David Sims, Melanie Ward, who's a stylist. Mario Sorrenti kind of came in and out of our group, but he wasn't part of the core. David Sims was the anchor at first, because he was like, "There's a new kind of picture I want to take." And we all worked on his idea together. He was saying, "We have to go back to our roots. We have to think about England." We weren't intentionally trying to bring down the supermodel aesthetic, but we didn't feel connected to it. It didn't relate to us. I love it—I've always loved it—but you know when you're young, you kind of decide you're going to be "The Anti-It." Whatever is popular and huge, you decide you're going to push against it, right? So we did.

Corinne Day

When did Kate Moss get involved?

So Kate started turning up early on. She had met some of the group, which is how it started. And she was this little twig of a person. She was great fun, and very cheeky, and very into fashion—she would wear whatever you asked her to, because she just loved to take different looks on. And like all good models, she somehow understood how to make a good picture. She got where her face should go. She got where her hands should go. I can't explain it, but it honestly is a talent. And she became part of our tribe because she was fun and easy to work with, but also because of that talent.

Was everyone obsessed with her?

I mean, we all thought she was cute. We obviously didn't know what we know now. I mean, isn't she the most iconic model of all time? Her career is still totally relevant today, and how far out are we? Twenty years? And still young photographers and established photographers still use her as an influence. You've grown up with her, so maybe to you she's just always been a celebrity. But the way she continues to be relevant and inspiring and in-demand… no other model has ever done that, ever. That's more what major [pop] stars do. But Kate does it.

Now, so many girls have messy, wispy hair like Kate. But then…

Then, honestly, some people thought it was offensive. It was shocking for someone in a major magazine or a campaign to have hair that wasn't "done." That must sound really strange to you, because now everyone wants that kind of hair. Now it's just charming. Then, it felt in-your-face. Messy hair wasn't cute; it was aggressive. And I remember some of the established editors revolted when we presented girls in that way. They wouldn't feature us.

Can you describe specifically what you did to her hair to get that reaction?

We wanted to make it look like a mistake. I called it "anti" hair. Bobby pins sticking out, tucking hair behind the ears—especially if you have really big ears!—so you can see them poking through. Using actual elastic bands, like you couldn't find or didn't have the real thing. And working with a pot of Black & White, which is this cheap jar of hair grease. Then you'd show all the nasty elements—back combing, sleeping on your hair so it sticks up, frizz... And then the Calvin Klein thing happened and suddenly we were part of the establishment we'd been going against.

David Sims

"The Calvin Klein Thing." Discuss.

I did Helmut Lang's runway show in Paris. It was one of the first big shows I did. And then Calvin flew literally all of us to New York City. Me, David, Kate obviously, we were all together in a new city. It felt a bit like [The Real World]. And then all of a sudden, Marky Mark shows up on set, and we're like, "hello?" The aesthetic we'd kind of created in our own little world was becoming this new "thing" right before our eyes.

What was it like on a Calvin Klein set?

Calvin Klein gave us free reign, which might not have been fun for some of his employees. He was a genius—he still is—and he found elements of culture and counter-culture that were coming together, and he made them even bigger. He didn't shy away from female sexuality, from homosexuality, from homoeroticism…He felt that social change in the air, and he brought us all into his space. And he really did start my career. He was very powerful in New York at the time. His seal of approval opened the doors to my career. And by him putting Kate under contract, it kind of validated what we all did, because we were "her" team.

How long did it take to do Kate's beauty look at that time?

I don't know. I mean, it could have taken three weeks. [Laughing.]

What?!

What you're asking, it wasn't like that then. It's a different era. There were literally four people on set, and we were all mucking into it. It was Kate, me, David Sims, and often, the only time we could all shoot together was on the weekends. And then if David didn't like the pictures, we would just start all over! Remember, he was shooting on film. You couldn't look at the camera and just "know" what you had. And we didn't have to show a heel or a bag. We had to capture a spirit. It was a lot more artistic.

What's the biggest beauty change you've seen come out of that period?

It's hard to tell younger generations, but the women girls worshipped in the '90s were not considered conventionally attractive—they were not obviously great beauties—at the time. Amber Valletta was gawky. Shalom Harlow was weird. All these people were considered small, awkward, skinny. They were different to these sporty, athletic girls with bigger bodies like Cindy, Christie Brinkley. These girls weren't as conventionally gorgeous. They've become conventionally gorgeous. But then, a lot of people didn't get it.

Binx Walton by David Sims, for the Rizzoli book "Hair: Guido."

David Sims

And now "grunge hair" is the most-searched term on Tumblr.

Well, it's funny how long it takes things to seep in. The beauty myth has been going on for centuries. The idea of beauty changing doesn't happen overnight. Things are happening much faster in the past five years than ever before, in terms of images turning into ideas.

Like what?

Like how gender fluidity has been around for hundreds of thousands of years. But it's only now that it's turning into an acceptable and an embraced idea, and you can see people's progressive views towards it reflected in beauty and fashion trends. And the funny thing is, it's the most basic thing in the world: let people be who they are and look how they want, regardless of whether they're different from you. Just as long as nobody's hurting each other, who cares?

Getty Images

There have been multiple discussions about cultural appropriation in runway beauty looks. Are there hairstyles that you think are off-limits to those who aren't culturally connected to them?

I don't know why hair has become political. I don't have a boundary. Why wouldn't I reference women from all over the world? If I didn't, it would be like I was saying a certain hairstyle, or a certain hair texture, wasn't beautiful enough. And that's just wrong to me. Why not embrace beauty from everywhere? Otherwise, does that mean we shouldn't straighten hair, or make hair into anything other than what it's always been? I mean, where does it end?

A Part of Hearst Digital Media
ELLE participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.